Around and about 23rd April

Mixenden Reservoir, Hunter Hill and part of Ogden golf course this morning. A lovely warm sunny day.

Fly-through Brimstone at Mixenden was only my second ever for Calderdale. Also in that same area an Orange-tip and a Green-veined White - the latter took some finding in the vegetation for a photo but I wasn't quick enough for the Brimstone.

Green-veined White

Elsewhere, around Hunter Hill and the golf course - A decent show of Peacocks, and Small Tortoiseshells and to a lesser extent Orange-tips.

A similar return from Hag Lane / Pepper Hill above Claremount this afternoon.

Also one Speckled Wood resting on a holly bush and later, another one in the garden at home.

Not a lot in the trap this week.....enough to keep me interested though !

Brindled Pug x 1

Double-striped Pug x 1

Common Quaker x 2

Small Quaker x 1

Hebrew Character x 3

Twin-spotted Quaker x 2 (one much darker than the other)

Early Thorn x 1

Green HAirstreaks

Plenty Green HAirstreaks about at the moment on the local moors and also loads of Emperor Moths flying . Ornage Tips , Small White , Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks also seen in good numbers...Still freezing every night so just Hebrew Chracters and a few Common Quakers here.....

Castle Carr Road - 18th April

 Common Heath x 1 earlier today

Common Heath - Photo courtesy Paul B

This afternoon in some nice warm sunshine

Green Hairstreak x 11 - all were found on dandelion flowers adjacent to heather and bilberry heathland. None found on the plentiful dandelions elsewhere along the road other than the heath areas.

Green Hairstreaks

Also along the road

Small Tortoiseshell x 2

Peacock x 3

Lee Mount - 18th April

Still quiet for moths but despite that a bat was flying around last night at 8pm ( probably a 'pip'. )
Twin-spotted Quaker x 1
Common Quaker x 1

Brindled Pug x 1 

Agonopterix heracliana x 1

Male Orange-tip Butterfly in Shroggs Park woodland this morning.

16th April

3 Emperors kicking about near the Wind Farm , 20 + Philedonides lunana and 2 Mottled Grey....Speckled Wood , Orange Tip , Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell reported today..(thaks Nigel)

Lee Mount - 13th April to 15th April

Better than nothing at all......this cold weather is preventing much activity at night.

14th April

Hebrew Character x 1

Common Quaker x 1

Early Thorn x 1

Diurnia fagella x 1

Double-striped Pug x 1

14th April

Small Tortoiseshell x 2 on Soil Hill on Coltsfoot flowers

Later in the day on and around Castle Carr Road near Wainstalls

Small Tortoiseshell x 3

Peacock x 1

15th April

Agonopterix heracliana x 1 - the only moth at home

Shackleton Knoll / Walshaw and Crimsworth Dean today

Small Tortoiseshell x 5

Peacock x 1 

Philedonides lunana

Lots of these flying over heather on the walk up to Greater Manshead via Flints moor yesterday. They seemed to occur in great numbers all the way across Flints Moor and up Manshead but I only checked a few to confirm species.

Lee Mount - 8th April

Still cold overnight so not a lot doing

Clouded Drab x 1

Hebrew Character x 2

Common Quaker x 2

Double-striped Pug x 2

Agonopterix heracliana x 1

Lee Mount 3rd and 4th April

I recently got into the habit, if I could collect them safely, of moving moths well away from the house - otherwise the same ones seem to appear or stay around for several days.

3rd - Early Thorn x 1, Hebrew Character x 2, Common Quaker x 2, Diurnea fagella x 1, Brindled Pug x 1 and Early Grey x 1

4th - Twin-spotted Quaker x 1, Small Quaker x 1

 LUDDENDEN 310321

Brindled Pug  2

Oak Beauty  3

Clouded Drab  1

Hebrew Character  5

Twin-spot Quaker  1

Early Grey  1

Pine Beauty  2

Pine Beauty - grey variant

Small Quaker  11

Common Quaker  11 (there back)

Rishworth - Overnight Moths - 30th March - 50 moths and a couple of unknowns

 Everyone agree on Engrailed?

 Edit: I originally had this on for ID but after about 2hrs I have it as Oak Nycteoline, an excellent Garden first.

 A really good night last night, I have two unknowns. FYI I did trap on the night of the 29th but I lost my list :)

Moth Trap 30th March;

Chestnut x4

Common Quaker x13

Small Quaker x21

Water Carpet x1 [NFY]

Mottled Grey x6

Hebrew Character x10

Brindled Pug x7

Oak Beauty x4

Brown House Moth x1 [NFY]

Twin Spot Quaker x3

Clouded Drab x1

Red Green Carpet x1 [NFY]

Oak Nycteoline x1 [NFG]

30 march 2021

Oak nycteoline f notata

 Luddenden  290321

Oak Beauty  1

Common Quaker  8

Small Quaker  8

Twin-spot Quaker 3

Hebrew Character   6

Chestnut  1

Early Grey  2

Luddenden  303021

Double-striped Pug  1

Brindled Pug  3

Oak Beauty   2

Dotted Border  1

Pine Beauty  1

Small Quaker  7

Twin-spot Quaker  2

Early Grey 1

Chestnut  3

Hebrew Character  2

I don't know what happened to the Common Quakers last night

 

Lee Mount and Wheatley Valley 30th March

A good day yesterday with a new one for me us in the form of an Orange Underwing - just one flying around in an area of birch woodland in Shroggs Park overlooking Shroggs Road (thanks for the tip off AC and BL).

Also on the former landfill site and further up the Wheatley Valley on a lovely sunny afternoon a good show of two species of butterfly.

20+ Peacock

20+ Small Tortoiseshell  - several in cop

Also yesterday and last night - a few moths overnight and mostly in the trap this morning (31st)

Brindled Pug x 3

Hebrew Character x 3

Chestnut x 2

Common Quaker x 4

Agonopterix heracliana x 2

Early Grey x 3

Diurnia fagella x 1 (photo still to double check)

Pug sp still to check on x 1

30.March .2021

lots of reports today of , Brimstone , Small Tortoiseshell , Peacock , Comma and Orange Underwings...

Stainland.

I have a plume moth today, which I need some help with. The photo is not one of my better ones, sorry. I'm having a little trouble with my macro camera, so had to use one of my others with semi macro. It just isn't the same.

I think it's a Beautiful Plume - Amblyptilia acanthadactyla. It has banded legs and shading on the wing tips and on the leading edge of it's wings. It looks worn, so I'm not one hundred percent sure. 

 

 

Beautiful Plume TBC.

 

Anomalous

 I was out in the field opposite the house last night, here is what I got: all larvae unless specified

Anomalous x11.          Autumnal Rustic x1

Square Spot Rustic x3

Adult mottled Grey x2

New Yorkshire Butterfly Atlas online

Stainland,

I heard the first Skylarks today, on Ovenden Moor, they are always a welcome sound. I was above Ogden. on the Millennium Way. Also, several grouse were calling and one lonely Blackbird.

Cromwell Bottom and Orange Underwings

HAd a quick walk round today , 3 Orange Underwing flying high up in the birches on lagoon 1 , 10 Orange Underwing were recorded in Hebden last weekend and also a few at Colden on Monday and 15 + in Knott wOOD , Comma , Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock today and a Brimstone recorded from Elland , so 4 species of Butterfly so far this year......